1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus and a camera that are provided with functions of communicating with a server through a network and transmitting and receiving image data to and from the server, and an image communication system that distributes the image data by means of the image display apparatus, the camera and the server.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, an information apparatus such as a digital camera and a personal digital assistant (PDA) that has an image display has been in common use. This apparatus is provided with a communication function of connecting to a computer network so that a variety of information can be exchanged. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-315106 discloses a system that adds an identification signal of a cameraman to image data recorded with a digital camera for the purpose of distributing the recorded image with a charge. Specifically, the system adds the cameraman""s identification signal to the recorded image data to thereby specify who is the cameraman of the recorded image (i.e., an original owner of the image data) distributed on the network. Then, the cameraman can charge a user of the distributed image for the use.
The conventional information apparatus such as the digital camera cannot store a number of images since the capacity of an internal memory is limited. The recorded image may be transmitted to the server to reduce the burden of the memory with the use of a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-315106. In this case, the use of the network and a database charges therefor, and it is therefore necessary to carefully designate a server to connect and identify the user. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-315106, however, merely teaches adding the identification signal to the recorded image data to ensure the payment for the secondary use of the image data. It fails to teach designating the server to connect or to which the image data is transmitted.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 5-165932 discloses another system that makes it possible for a plurality of users to connect to a server at the same time so that they can edit the image data while they look at the same image.
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is used as the image display in many of apparatus that are provided with the above-mentioned image display function. If several persons look at the same screen, the image is sometimes difficult to see because of the direction of the liquid crystals. In this case, it is possible to distribute the image data to a plurality of apparatuses with the use of a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 5-165932 so that several persons can look at the same image on the plurality of displays at the same time. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 5-165932, however, merely proposes a processing method in the case where several persons edit the same image. The mere application of this method has a problem described below. Since each person can freely enter a command from each apparatus, one person enters a command of xe2x80x9cswitch to the next imagexe2x80x9d, whereas another person enters a command of an xe2x80x9cenlargementxe2x80x9d, for example. If a rule were adopted in such a way that another command is not accepted during the processing of one command, an arbitrary operation of one person would influence all the other persons. It is therefore impossible to supervise the images that are distributed to all the persons.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the provision of an image display apparatus and a camera that recognize who is using the apparatus (a user), communicate automatically with a server that is under contract with the user, and display the same image on a plurality of apparatuses while one of the apparatuses supervises the distribution of the images. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image communication system that makes possible the distribution of the image data by means of the above-mentioned apparatuses provided with the communication function.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to an image display apparatus comprising: an information reader for reading identification information from an external storage medium; a communicating device for communicating with a server through a network, the server being designated in accordance with the read identification information; and an image display for displaying an image represented by image data distributed from the server.
According to the present invention, the information reader reads the information contained in the external storage medium, and the identification information of a certain person contained in the external storage medium is entered into the image display apparatus. Then, a server is designated in accordance with the entered identification information, and the communicating device connects the image display apparatus automatically to the designated server. The image display apparatus receives the image data from the connected server, and displays the image represented by the image data on the image display.
The use of the external storage medium makes it easy to enter the identification information of the user into the image display apparatus and connect the image display apparatus to the server designated in accordance with the user.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an image display apparatus comprises: an information reader for reading identification information from an external storage medium; a nonvolatile storage device for storing identification information of an owner of the image display apparatus; a user""s identification information setting device for setting the owner""s identification information as user""s identification information if the information reader reads no identification information, and setting the identification information read by the information reader as the user""s identification information if the information reader reads the identification information; a communicating device for communicating with a server through a network, the server being designated in accordance with the user""s identification information; and an image display for displaying an image represented by image data distributed from the server. Accordingly, once the owner of the image display apparatus records his or her own identification information in the own apparatus, it is possible to omit the entering of the identification information to use the own apparatus.
To erase previously-set user""s identification information, a user""s identification information erasing device may be adopted so that the user""s identification information is erased when the image display apparatus is turned off. Further, a user""s identification information updating device may be adopted so that when the information reader reads a new identification information, the set user""s identification information is erased and the new identification information is set as the user""s identification information.
Moreover, the image display apparatus further comprises a user""s identification information confirmation device for, if the set user""s identification information is other than the owner""s identification information, requiring resetting of the user""s identification information when a first preset time has elapsed after the setting of the set user""s identification information, and erasing the set user""s identification information when a second preset time has elapsed without the resetting after the requirement. The provision of this device prevents the user""s identification information other than the owner""s identification information from being fraudfully used. This provides security when a pay network, etc. is used.
It is also possible to use a plurality of image display apparatuses of the present invention. In this case, the image display apparatus further comprises: a cooperative mode designating device for designating the image display apparatus in either of a master mode and a slave mode with respect to at least one additional image display apparatus reading the same identification information that the image display apparatus reads; wherein the image display apparatus supervises the additional image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is in the master mode; wherein the image display apparatus is supervised by one of the additional image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is in the slave mode, the one of the additional image display apparatus being designated in the master mode by the cooperative mode designating device thereof.
According to the present invention, the identification information of one person is set as the user""s identification information in the plurality of image display apparatuses, so that several persons can look at the same image displayed on the plurality of image display apparatuses. In particular, only the image display apparatus that is designated in the master mode is capable of manipulating the images such as switching, enlarging, and reducing. The master image display apparatus can supervise the images that displayed on the other image display apparatuses designated in the slave mode.
Moreover, the image display apparatus further comprises a communication mode designating device for designating the image display apparatus in either of an on-line mode and an off-line mode with respect to at least one additional image display apparatus reading the same identification information that the image display apparatus reads; wherein the image display apparatus supervises the additional image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is in the on-line mode and the master mode; wherein the image display apparatus is supervised by one of the additional image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is in the on-line mode and the slave mode, the one of the additional image display apparatus being designated in the master mode by the cooperative mode designating device thereof; wherein the image display apparatus operates independently of the additional image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is in the off-line mode. Accordingly, it is possible to satisfy a personal need to freely operate the image display apparatus without the control of the image display apparatus designated in the master mode.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a camera comprising: an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device, an image of a subject being formed on a light receiving surface of the imaging device through the imaging optical system, the imaging device photoelectrically converting the image into an image signal; a signal processor for processing the image signal sent from the imaging device so as to produce image data; an information reader for reading identification information from an external storage medium; a communicating device for communicating with a server through a network, the server being designated in accordance with the read identification information; and a data transmitter for transmitting the image data to the server.
It is preferable that the camera further comprises an image display for displaying a first image captured by the imaging part and a second image represented by image data distributed from the server.
According to the present invention, the information reader reads the information contained in the external storage medium, and the identification information of a certain person contained in the external storage medium is entered into the camera. Then, a server is designated in accordance with the entered identification information, and the communicating device connects the camera automatically to the designated server. The transmission of the recorded image data to the connected server eliminates the necessity for providing the camera with a memory that stores a large amount of image data. Thus, the image-recording is performed without need to pay attention to the amount of the recorded image data.
It is also possible to use a plurality of cameras of the present invention. In this case, the camera further comprises: a camera communicating device for communicating with at least one additional cameras reading the same identification information that the camera reads; and a cooperative mode designating device for designating the camera in either of a master mode and a slave mode with respect to the additional cameras; wherein the camera supervises the additional camera through the camera communicating device when the camera is in the master mode; wherein the camera is supervised by one of the additional cameras through the camera communicating device when the camera is in the slave mode, the one of the additional cameras being designated in the master mode by the cooperative mode designating device thereof.
According to the present invention, the identification information of one person is set as the user""s identification information in the plurality of cameras. One of these cameras is designated in the master mode, and all of the cameras can be controlled by operating only the camera designated in the master mode. It is therefore possible to perform a simultaneous image-recording such as a panoramic photography, a 360xc2x0 photography, etc. using the plurality of cameras.
In order to increase the functions of the camera, the camera further comprises: an identification information storage device for storing identification information of a plurality of persons read by the information reader; and a communication controller for controlling the communicating device and the data transmitter such that the communicating device communicates with the server designated in accordance with the read identification information of each of the persons and the data transmitter transmits the image data to the designated server.
According to the present invention, the identification information of the plurality of persons can be set as the user""s identification information in one camera, and the same image data is distributed simultaneously or sequentially to one or more of servers, each of which is designated in accordance with each of the plurality of persons. Thus, when the one camera performs the image-recording, the recorded image data can be distributed automatically to the one or more of servers, thus eliminating the necessity for extra printing.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information adding device for adding the identification information read by the information reader to the image data of the recorded image. If the identification information of each person who is a subject in the recorded image is entered into the camera in the case where several persons are snapshot, the identification information of the persons is attached to the recorded image data. The persons in the recorded image can be identified in accordance with the attached information, and thus, the recorded images are retrieved using the attached information.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to an image communication system comprising: at least one server provided with a storage device storing image data; a network capable of connecting to the server; an image display apparatus communicating with the server through the network, the image display apparatus comprising: an information reader for reading identification information from an external storage medium; a communicating device for communicating with the server through the network, the server being designated in accordance with the read identification information; and an image display for displaying an image represented by the image data distributed from the server; and a data distributor for distributing the image data from the server to the image display apparatus in accordance with a command given through the image display apparatus.
According to the present invention, the image display apparatus connects to the server designated in accordance with the identification information entered from the external storage medium, and receives the image data from the server. In this case, there may be provided a charge calculator for calculating a charge to a person designated with the entered identification information for at least one of using the network and using the image data. Consequently, it is possible to properly charge the person who receives the service.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to an image communication system comprises: at least one server provided with a storage device storing image data; a network capable of connecting to the server; a camera communicating with the server through the network, the camera comprising: an imaging part provided with an imaging optical system and an imaging device, an image of a subject being formed on a light receiving surface of the imaging device through the imaging optical system, the imaging device photoelectrically converting the image into an image signal; a signal processor for processing the image signal sent from the imaging device so as to produce image data; an information reader for reading identification information from an external storage medium; a communicating device for communicating with the server through the network, the server being designated in accordance with the read identification information; and a data transmitter for transmitting the image data to the designated server; and a transmitted data recording device for recording the transmitted image data in the designated server.
According to the present invention, the camera connects to the server designated in accordance with the identification information entered from the external recording medium, and transmits the recorded image data to the server so that the image data can be stored in the server. In this case, there may be provided a charge calculator for calculating a charge to a person designated with the entered identification information for at least one of using the network and recording the image data in the server. Consequently, it is possible to properly charge the person who receives the service.
The image communication system of the preset invention, wherein the camera further comprises: an information storage device for storing identification information of a plurality of persons read by the information reader; and an information transmitter for transmitting the read identification information of a first group of at least one of the persons to a second group of at least one of the server designated in accordance with the read identification information of a second group of at least one of the persons; wherein the image communication system further comprises: a data distributor for distributing the image data from the second group of the at least one of the server to a first group of at least one of the server designated in accordance with the transmitted identification information of the first group of the at least one of the persons; and a distributed data recording device for recording the distributed image data in the first group of the at least one of the server.
According to the present invention, the image data transmitted from the camera to one of the servers is distributed from the one server to the other servers, so that the image data recorded with the one camera can be distributed to the plurality of servers at the same time.